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Feb 14, 2019

Saudi Arabia lifts warning on travel to Lebanon

Saudi Arabia on Wednesday lifted its longstanding warning against Saudis
traveling to Lebanon, and released $1 billion in funding pledged to
boost the country’s struggling economy.

The announcements followed talks in Beirut on Wednesday between visiting
special envoy and Saudi Royal Court adviser Nizar Al-Aloula, Saudi
Ambassador Waleed Bukhari, Lebanese President Michel Aoun and Prime
Minister Saad Hariri.

“Given that the previous security reasons have ended and based on
reassurances from the Lebanese government to Saudi Arabia, Saudi Arabia
is lifting its travel warning for its citizens,” Bukhari said.

Signs of warming ties were evident later at an anniversary event to mark
the 2005 assassination of Hariri’s father, the former prime minister
Rafiq Hariri; the Saudi flag was on prominent display and Aloula was a
keynote speaker.

Lebanon last week formed a new coalition government after nine months of
wrangling over ministerial posts, and produced a raft of proposed new
economic policies to slash the country’s crippling national debt and
reduce its budget deficit.

A fall in visitors from Saudi Arabia and other Gulf states has
devastated Lebanon’s tourism industry, once a mainstay of an economy
that Hariri’s new government has pledged to support with reforms and
investment.

Aloula said the purpose of his visit was “to congratulate Lebanon on the
formation of the government, which hopefully will be a good sign for
the Lebanese and Arab peoples. If Lebanon prospers, we all prosper.

“We were looking forward to the formation of a Lebanese government as
much as the Lebanese people. There are over 20 Lebanese-Saudi agreements
that will hopefully now come into effect — the mere presence of a
government in Beirut allows us to move forward.”

On the timing of his visit, a day after the departure of Iranian Foreign
Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif, Aloula said: “The Iranian course is
completely different from ours, and there is no competition or conflict.

“We always bet on Lebanese success. Lebanese people have capabilities
that allow them to lead the Middle East region. They have everything —
heritage, culture and intelligence.”

The Saudi government had previously pledged $1 billion of investments
for Lebanese projects at the Cedar Conference in Paris in April 2018,
which will now be distributed among the 20 projects to which Aloula
referred.

Further meetings between Prime Minister Hariri and Saudi Crown Prince
Mohammed bin Salman are expected to take place before any final
decisions are made.https://www.geezgo.com/sps/53921